1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to paint brush washing machines and more particularly to one in which brush bristles are moved in an oscillating manner in a direction generally parallel to the bristle axis while submerged in a cleaning fluid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The most pertinent prior art known to us as represented by patents is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,116,745 to Burning, U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,174 issued to Schoepske, Jr., and U.S. Pat No. 4,759,384 to Kliewer. The latter two of these patents show arrangements whereby a paint brush can be fastened to an adaptor which is chucked in an electric drill whereby the brush can be rotated in a container of cleaning fluid. The bristle axes are oriented outward from the axis of rotation. In the Burning patent the brushes are mounted to a vertical shaft in a container of cleaning fluid and rotated by a hand crank at the top of the shaft. The bristles are generally oriented in a direction outward from the shaft.
At least one other individual has used a different approach in which the brushes are held with their bristles hanging vertically in a container of cleaning fluid and then agitated in a way tending to move the bristles up and down and sideways in amounts that increase at increasing distances from the handle toward the bristle tips, rather than rotated about an axis perpendicular to the bristle axes. We have determined that, in addition to vertical motion along the axis of the bristles, a degree of side to side motion flexes the bristles and agitates the cleaning fluid, greatly enhancing cleaning effectiveness. However, we have found that with the arrangement heretofore used, if the stroke and velocity of the bristles relative to the cleaning fluid are great enough to provide good cleaning performance, there is a tendency to throw cleaning fluid out of the container, and the bristles are in disarray after the cleaning operation. Accordingly, there has remained a need for an effective brush cleaning machine of comparatively small size and which will effectively clean the brushes with a minimal consumption of cleaning fluid and leave the bristles in good condition when the cleaning operation has been finished.